Ian McKellen, Elton John and David Furnish become new faces of Pride London

Sir Elton John and his civil partner David Furnish, and famed actor Sir Ian McKellen, are the new celebrity faces of Pride in London for 2013.

The three are joined by tennis legend Martina Navratilova, to be the faces of the parade which will take place in London on 29 June.

Sir Elton and Furnish released a statement on the announcement, saying: “It’s great to see such a huge number of groups participating in this year’s parade highlighting the theme ‘Love (and Marriage)’ and the importance of loving relationships to all of us as well as marking the welcome campaign for equal marriage in the UK,”

The couple said they hoped that the parade will give a boost to the equal marriage bill for England and Wales, which is currently being debated in Parliament.

“This is a huge achievement for the community and our allies and demands a great party!”, the statement continued.

Sir Ian McKellen said he had signed up to to the event, in order to back equal marriage, and to improve the security of the LGBT community.

The 74-year-old said: “The UK is on the verge of joining countries such as New Zealand by legislating for equal marriage, but we must not forget that there’s always more to be done both at home and abroad so that all members of the LGBT community can live happily and safely in any community, accepted and valued for who they are.”

Navratilova added to the statements, saying: “London holds a very special place in my heart, it’s not just Wimbledon that I love, it’s the energy of the city and the warm welcome Londoners give me.”